I wanted to request a child reader who doesn't like talking to people but shy way- but bc she feels like there is no point in it also is a genius but doesn't go to the akademia bc of financial reasons so alhaitham adopts her? Also, kaveh and alhaitham act like parents towards her? Like kaveh scolding her for not making friends at the akademia and scolding alhaitham bc he is not a good example? Basically, kaveh being the worried mom and alhaitham being the cool dad
Sorry if this request was too long and specific đ I had this brainrot for a long time and wanted to share it with you
tags/warnings: child reader, typical kavetham bickering, reader is considered a genius, reader has no parents, a little bit of angst regarding reader's backstory
notes: WOW THIS IS SO SO LATE!! I'M SO SORRYY, I've been having a really hard time with my mental health.
she/her pronouns were used in the ask, but the reader is gender neutral so everyone can enjoy. sorry if that's not what you wanted!
â For as long as you can remember, you were alone. In a house that brought back nostalgia, but those memories were buried deep into your mind, and no matter how hard you tried to dig them up, they stayed hidden.
â You took up small jobs around sumeru to get by, to at least look presentable in public. Even though it was considered child labor, you didn't care. Although when it came to speaking to people, it was difficult. People could be stubborn and rude, you didn't grow up knowing social cues or ways to respond. So, the only option you had was not speaking.
â When you didn't respond to the person that was talking to you, they either assumed you were mute or that you were rude and just didn't want to speak to them.
â Once, you were out in the desert in search of materials for your employer. You had crouched down as you spotted something shining underneath the grains of sand. It was a gem, and it looked quite expensive. The next thing you knew⊠you were surrounded by people in outfits that you hadn't seen before. Each and every one of them had a sort of red blind fold on. They demanded that you hand it over.
â You couldn't get a response out as your body froze up in fear. Just as one of them was going to swing their weapon down, it was intercepted by a sword.
â It was a man in green, before anyone could react the man knocked out the people who were previously surrounding you. Your eyes sparkled in awe, watching as the man swiftly landed on his feet. His head turned to you, causing you to flinch at his cold eyes, but they slightly softened in something you couldn't quite put your finger on.
âł Your mouth hung open as you stared at the man in green. He beat up the scary looking people, he⊠he was so cool! Your eyes sparkled and were basically radiating light. His head turned to you, his eyes were narrowed, and that made you jump and quickly close your open mouth. The man started approaching you â you, not exactly trusting him, looked around for an opening to run away. The man knelt down to your height, yet still at a comfortable distance, his eyes trailed over your face, taking in your features and searching for any injuries. A small bead of sweat ran down the side of your face, discomfort written on your face. âDo you have anywhere to go?â The green man asked. You reluctantly shook your head. Your former house â that was barely staying together - didn't really count. He offered you his hand. âWould you like to come with me?â
You stared at the hand that he held out, should you agree? I mean it's not like you have anywhere else to go, and you weren't exactly made for hard labor jobs⊠you put your hand on his and nodded, he stood up with your hand is his. âMy name is Alhaitham.â He said while looking down at you expectantly. âI'm (Name)...â You muttered but you could tell from his nod that he heard it.
â When you went with Alhaitham, you expected to be taken to an orphanage or taken to the authorities, yet that wasn't the case. He had taken you to his house and given you clean clothes, a warm bed to sleep in and⊠a roommate?
â After you had taken a bath and changed, Alhaitham had sat you on the couch and explained that he wasn't the only one who lived in the house. You really hadn't expected it since he seems like the type of person to like his alone time, but you understood.
â Once Kaveh came home after a long day of dealing with indecisive clients, he was met with you, and Alhaitham engaged in a game of chess and⊠The former was actually losing. To Kaveh It felt like a fever dream, so his only response was to stand in the doorway. But once he realized that there was someone other than him and Alhaitham in the house, and that someone was a CHILD.
â oh boy, Kaveh is immediately asking 1000 questions per minute. How did you get here? Where are their parents? Do you even know if they have any other relatives? and so on and so forth.
â Once Kaveh and dwindled down from his flurry of questions, Alhaitham explained your situation.
âł Kaveh put a hand on his chin as he took in the information provided by his roommate. He hummed âSo⊠they're staying with us?â He asked Alhaitham with a raised eyebrow. âYes, that's right.â The scribe nodded and crossed his arms, Kaveh sighed âAlrightâŠâ He trailed off and met eyes with your wide ones. âI'm Kaveh, nice to meet you, (Name)â He gave you a small smile. Your mouth turned into an âoâ shape âhe's prettyâ you thought.
â As the days went by and the three of you got adjusted to living together, Alhaitham noticed something peculiar about you. You were much more perceptive than other children, often pointing out details that even some adults couldn't have seen, and you learn surprisingly quickly for a child your age.
â You also took a strange interest in the akademia. Whenever you, with either of your guardians, would pass by the akademia, your eyes would be immediately glued to the entrance doors. Alhaitham, seeing your subtle hints of interest, decided to talk with Kaveh to see if they should enroll you in the akedemia.
â and surprisingly, it didn't take much convincing to get Kaveh to agree. The both of them had acknowledged your perceptive nature and quick interest in the akademia. They decided to give you a chance, since it seems that you never had a proper education. They sat you down to tell you, and once they did⊠you lit up, a rare but well received squeal escaped your mouth as you rapidly thanked them as you ran up to hug them. Your wholesome reaction forced a smile out of Alhaitham and a hearty laughter out of Kaveh.
â You loved your time in the akademia, learning about different plants, animals, and complicated equations that you came close to solving. The only slight problem was⊠that you didn't make an effort to talk to other kids your age. It was just that you went the best at talking to people, and you got really anxious when you did. It didn't help that you froze up when someone approached you.
â Alhaitham in return, assured you that you didn't need to interact with people. You just needed to focus on your studies and yourself, but Kaveh had the opposite opinion. He believed it was essential to have friends or just people to talk to. It would build up social skills and help with public speaking. At Kaveh's rambling, Alhaitham muttered a quiet "Don't listen to himâ, yet Kaveh heard his remark and started to scold him for encouraging the anti-social behavior. Although you kept Kavehâs advice in mind, you weren't planning on public speaking or speaking to people anytime soon.
My one and only Genshin Impact fanart featuring a dendro user, named Tighnari!
"One and only" cause ON GOD THOSE CHARACTERS ARE A NIGHTMARE TO DRAW T^T shout-out to my friend Cookie_Chocoladka who used to draw A LOT of Genshin art
Ain't no way I'll try again. ever. Especially now, when I don't play this game anymore but it's a fanart and people on Tumblr love fanart sooooo... đ
I promised way back that Iâd do an entire breakdown on my thoughts and research notes on my Sethos fic, come disrupt this silence, which was an exploration of Sethosâ characterization, motivations, and deep insecurities. I then ended up having to do some college stuff. But, college isnât starting for at least 3 more weeks so hereâs me getting into the grove of things.
This ended up being an analysis of Sumeruâs Archon quest and the nationâs ideals as a whole (desert and forest), but it still ties in to my thoughts on my fic and Sethos characterization so if you wanna read it, feel free.
I have several key points to discuss in this breakdown namely the concept of the Rtawahist darshanâs Illuminationism, the worship of truth in Sumeru, and the faith of the Temple of Silence. I suppose the easy way would be to break it down in chunks of how I started each of my chapters for the Sethos fic. But Iâll shuffle them around for overall cohesion.
Again, like my breakdown on my notes on hope or nostalgia, hover over or click underlined or hyperlinked text for further information or my sources. Iâll likely be linking to my references directly through those tooltips.
Also, spoiler warnings for my Sethos fic. If you wanna read it beforehand, go ahead. And general spoiler warnings for Sumeruâs Archon quest, character story quests, A Parade of Providence, etc.
destination
Sumeruâs culture
As is apparent for any discerning players, Sumeru is steeped in influences from the Islamic Golden Age and philosophies from Western Asia.
The Akademiya as an institution is inspired by the scholars of old, all of whom had constructed colleges and spaces for all walks of life to share their observations and synthesize their learnings into writing.
Sumeruâs culture is centered on the the pursuit and refinement of knowledge. Learning and wanting to learn is such a big part of the culture that the first friends we meet in Sumeru are those who are eager to learnâ Collei who wants to be a capable forest ranger, Haypasia who wants to connect with Irminsul.
Humans in Teyvat (and in real life) understand, by order of pedagogy, that knowledge must be unsullied by the voices and opinions of othersâ critical and unbiased, that the truth must be universal and all-encompassingâ universizability is a concept deeply ingrained in philosophy.
But these ideas, as they are human ideas, are supposed to be complex, flawed, and nuanced. Knowledge that is biased is still true, as are truths that are complicated and tangential. This is what Nahida meant when she said that Kavehâs understanding of truth and wisdom is almost perfect because he believes that the truth isnât meant to be pigeonholed into digestible concepts. From Kavehâs story (Old Sketchbook (unlocked at Friendship Lv. 4)):
Know that truth has never existed for the sake of individuals. The logic of the world coexists with nature, and this will not easily change whether it is interpreted as such or not.
In essence: the world does not exist for humanity and deluding ourselves into thinking otherwise is folly.
Sumeruâs faith
At the metaphorical level, Sumeruâs god and Archon is truth, the amalgamation of knowledge in Teyvat, personified. Nahida, Rukkhadevata, and all incarnations before them are beings of old dating back millennia that are susceptible to the whims of erosion and external tampering. Yes, the truth has been tampered with but it is true nonetheless and to deny it is foolish.
Itâs what you do with the truth, what your values and prior experiences tell you, is what really matters. Thatâs wisdom.
But because it is artificial, human-made, it can never be perfect. The god itself views itself as fallen and broken and one that is the perfect object of salvation, yet hasnât been and stays within that broken state unwilling to make moves of its own towards salvation.
Nahida and her predecessors, as the chosen Archon of Sumeru, signify not just the amalgamation of knowledge, but also the willingness to accept loss, change, to learn from others of their volition. This is why the Archon has to grow, learning and wanting to learn is part of the wisdom.
This is also reflected in Nahidaâs overarching story in the Archon quests, fearing that sheâs not good enough as Archon because she lacks the knowledge of what all the other Archons have done up to that point. She canât access Irminsul from her cage, so she continues to let herself be caged, afraid that her actions thus far are not Archon-like. She doesnât know any better so she doesnât do anything about it.
deflection
The Rtawahist darshan
Nahidaâs caged existence and playing at godhood for the past 500 years can be easily compared to Platoâs Forms, his shadows in the cave. She rescued countless through miracles, convened with them in their dreams, spoke in riddles and metaphors. But never once has she manifested physically or visually to these children. No one knew what Lesser Lord Kusanali looked like beyond the sages. These miracles and dreams are what she thinks is godhood because these ideas are what godhood is in stories and scriptures told to children in Sumeru.
This concept is the root of Rtawahistâs teachingsâ there is a reason why Haypasia, Setaria, and Azar are important NPCs in the Archon quest, all part of the Rtawahist darshan.
The Rtawahist darshan, according to the Parade of Providence (Act I - Comings and Goings, Opening Festivities) quest, centers itself on Illuminationism, astrology, astronomy, etc.
From the Western standpoint, itâs hard not to be a little confused by Rtawahistâs teachings because the other darshan are rather straightforwardâ Spantamad is about geology and the elements, Amurta is about biology and ecology, Vahumana is about history, archeology, and etiology, etc.
So, what the hell does fortune-telling and getting high for a couple days have to do with astronomy? Well, you gotta remember that this is a fantasy setting and that the sky is fake.
Spantamad, Vahumana, and Rtawahist all have the most in-game conceptual overlap. As mentioned by Layla in the Parade of Providence (Act II - Beginnings and Endings, Competition on the Sands):
Do you ever get the feeling that the Ley Lines have a regular flow, similar to the way that celestial bodies follow fixed orbits? If we were looking down from on high, I wonder whether we'd find that the Ley Lines are just the reflections of the stars upon the earth? Not all astrological phenomena can be directly observed. Some are deductions based on other details that we know. It's the same situation with the Ley Lines. The parts of them that are hidden underground can be identified via elemental energy, sound, and other phenomena.
Rtawahist, then, is focused on the flow of fate and how to interpret it. This is why Mona Megistusâ Steambird columns are such a big hit (Layla Voice-Overs, About Mona) in the darshan, why fortune-telling is common, and why its scholars train via Satyavada Life to try and connect to Irminsul. The truth is the flow of events past, present, and futureâ in the lay of the land, the politics of man, and the stars that tell us everything.
Illuminationism
Illuminationism, you see, is an Iranian metaphysical philosophy that takes great inspiration from Platoâs Forms, Aristotelian teachings, and period-appropriate Islamic mysticism. Persian Philosopher ShihÄb ad-DÄ«n Yahya ibn Habash SuhrawardÄ«, often just called by Sohrevardi (though thatâs really just where heâs from. In this, Iâll be calling him Shihab al-Din) was the one who penned and expanded on the idea in his less than forty years on Earth.
The philosophy itself, though I am perhaps butchering it in an attempt to narrow this down, is centered on the idea that an individualâs essence, their light, is a reflection and refraction of a one true light and essence (God). The light every being has can be refracted and reflected onto others, and it trickles down on and on. Our lights affect each other, but all our lights come from the same source.
The one true light, in Shihab al-Dinâs philosophy is essence incarnate, the truth, God. And the rest of us, though we cannot create light, can most certainly emit an essence that is similar or close to God, just in our own forms or versions. Thus, in reviewing, you can hypothetically trace back to the truth of all things if you follow the trail (given that you donât get lost in doing so. See: Azar).
Which isnât necessarily the point. This is why one of the Akademiyaâs six sins (originating from the Temple of Silence (Temple of Silence Member, Djer)) is investigating the origin of words.
The point of Illuminationism, in real life and in-game, is to understand the trajectory of light, seeing it from all angles to understand what itâs saying, where it came from, and where itâs headed. As Iâd explained in my Sethos fic, studying the stars and connecting to Irminsul isnât about controlling your fate or bemoaning it, itâs about how you see your fate going forward and how you react to it, having the knowledge and the wisdom to use that information.
direction
Now, Iâve discussed the Akademiya extensively throughout this breakdown and havenât once touched upon the desert.
Amun, dead as he is, is long-forgotten for two specific reasons.
First: forbidden knowledge.
After learning about what happens moving forward from Nabu Malikata (thus causing her death (Weapon Ascension Material, Oasis Gardenâs Truth), the pain of her loss and the futility of his dreams (Staff of the Scarlet Sands) led him to trying to attain forbidden knowledge in order to fulfill them.
Itâs unclear whether this knowledge is abyssal, from beyond Teyvat, or erased Irminsul knowledge, but the memory and glory of Amun and his rule was erased en masse when Rukkhadevata erased the forbidden knowledge of it to save the his people from its effects.
Second: the Temple of Silence.
Say what you want about plot contrivance, but the fact that the desert mercenary groups like Ayn al-Ahmar and, well, most of the modern-day desert dwellers, were ignorant of the cause of Amunâs death and the Dendro Archonâs involvement with it is also due in large part because of the Temple of Silence.
Kasalaâs final act, as Amunâs priest, was to plead to his people, Amunâs followers, to respect the Dendro Archon, to live in harmony with the forest dwellers and to cease the in-fighting. This plea was buried under the sands for centuries. But the Temple knew about these events, and even had records about Apep (Temple of Silence Member, Asenath).
Now, itâs unclear whether Kasala was part of the Temple of Silence (he has the Tighnarian headdress), but I operate under the idea that he wasnât, and thus his philosophies and motivations differ greatly from Hermanubisâ which was largely upheld by the Tighnarians that followed him (because he was allegedly a Tighnarian himself) into the Temple of Silence.
All that to say, Hermanubisâ philosophy on the truth is that some of it must be kept tightly under wraps to maintain order and prosperity.
This is why the Towers of Betrayal remain âTowers of Betrayalâ even though they were once infused with Rukkhadevataâs power and, once activated, can create small oases to battle against the Withering. No desert dweller knows about these, not even Temple members (Temple of Silence Member, Djer). Desert dwellers refuse to tamper with them. The temple doesnât even try. These tombs, temples, plinths, and towers arenât reactivated until the Traveler comes along, and the histories behind them remain undiscovered to most of Sumeru.
Studying these towers would lead to questions, âWhy build them?â âWhat was it that King Deshret found?â âWhat caused the Withering?â Discovering the answers would lead to the spread of forbidden knowledge again.
Sethos and come disrupt this silence
As the actual leader of the Temple of Silence, Sethos is stuck between the importance of tradition and the need for progress.
Bamounâs deal with Cyrus had proven to be a setback for the Temple, as (for reasons unknown) Hermanubisâ severed fragments led to the deterioration of the Temple itself. But thatâs mostly an allegation. The real setback was the previous leadersâ choice to isolate themselves, the Temple pulling away from the Akademiya and the forest, and the desert.
The desert dwellers, after this period of isolation started, rapidly grew ignorant of their histories and learnings, knowledge and wisdom only passed down through traditions from a leftover faith of a mad god. Since no one but scholars were doing tomb spelunking, none of the desert dwellers were to interpret the structures and murals about their own history for themselves (Golden Slumber, An Introduction to Indoor Archaeology).
This is not to say that the Akademiya was not at fault for what became of Aaru Villageâ they certainly have their fair share of in-game ethnocentrist propagandaâ but like Nahida, the desert dwellers werenât willing to dig and delve deeper of their own volition, eventually stagnating after centuries of believing and operating under the Akademiyaâs lies.
Sethosâ introduction to the canon should, hypothetically, usher in a new era for the desertâs narrative.
Heâs aware of what the Temple needs and has a finger on the pulse of the Akademiyaâs culture and customs. Yet, he is a young man with the burden of leadership at a young age, one starved for interaction after spending most of his life (Sethos Voice-Overs, More About Sethos: V) in isolation at the Temple. Add in the recent loss of his grandfather, his innocence, and his remaining nostalgia for the authority of tradition over progress, and you have a character who has the potential to overturn the lived experience of all desert dwellers ready to go off at any moment.
A majority of his character stories are centered on hearing other peopleâs stories, only sharing things about himself only to insert a bit of doubt into his storytelling. He loves looking at the stars and seeing reality reflecting itself over and over upon humansâ fates. As in his Vision story:
Along the way, Sethos spotted two more beasts â one large, one small â lying dead at the bottom of a cliff.
Looking at them from a distance, Bamoun remarked, "Most likely a parent and a child. The larger one was probably chasing the smaller one, trying to drag it back, before it too lost its footing and they were blown down together."
"They were with that pack of beasts just now... But weren't there quite a few smaller ones? This large one died trying to save just a single one, and now the other small ones will be left unprotected. The losses far outweigh the gains... It shouldn't have taken the risk," said one of the other members, shaking their head.
Trying to rescue your children first from quicksand, then a storm... It sounded like an almost impossible task. Sethos had noticed, though, that Bamoun had been staring at that spot the whole time, as if it had reminded him of something. But in the end he said nothing more.
Having survived the disaster, the group slowly departed, with Sethos bringing up the rear. Before leaving, Sethos glanced back down at the scene below to regard the unsuccessful beast one last time.
Nothing is said in this Vision story that means anything in particular to Sethos in that moment, but you can see the mysticism in Sethosâ perspective, of seeing meaning in moments and actions that arenât his but could reflect upon his own life. Of Bamoun looking at a dead pair of Sumpterbeasts with no particular expression, pondering those left behind, and Sethos making the connection to Bamounâs inevitable death and departure and how that would affect him and the Temple.
No one is saved in this sacrifice. This is just avoiding one death to walk into another. Sethos receives his Vision quickly after this interaction and you, the reader, are supposed to infer what this means for Sethosâ character that he found this remarkable when receiving a Vision.
As I was writing my Sethos fic, I was mostly critiquing this lack of exploration into his character in fan works and canon. His introduction in Cynoâs second story quest and his unique perspective injects a much needed nuance into all that was left after the end of the Archon quests. The mysticism on top of the empirical is important, the symbolism that he and Cyno embody, the priests of Sumeruâs desert and forest.
Because Nahidaâs liberation doesnât mean desert dwellersâ lives have become easier.
Azar, the corrupt sages, and the Farrokhazadan were overthrown and put into community service; Ayn al-Ahmar is in charge of guarding Setaria for the revitalization projects for the desert; and, the desert dwellers are now in charge of their own futures moving forward.
But.
Dori Sangemah Bay still owns most of Aaru Villageâs lands, a disruption so massive the people of Aaru Village canât even build a public library. (Kaveh Hangout Event, The Price of a Wish)
Thereâs still the undeniable fact that itâs very very hard to get resources (and people!) past the Wall of Samiel, an idea they introduced in Dehyaâs trailer before the end of Act V but never brought up again.
The ethnocentrism in Akademiya texts and scholars is still narratively uncontested.
These ideas are not changed just by freeing Nahida and letting her be Archon, but itâs a step in the right direction that Hoyoverse has yet to write a narrative for even with Sethosâ introduction.
So I ended up picking up the slack with my fic.
Take it or leave it.
conclusion
This was a huge breakdown of a lot of my thoughts on Sumeruâs ethnonationalist politics, the Sumeru Archon quests, Sethos, and Sumeruâs cultures.
Hopefully I wasnât too overindulgent in writing these that I ended up glossing over some things. Iâm pretty sure Iâve written down most of my thoughts as eloquently as I could but itâs also 3AM and English isnât really my first language so. Grainâ no, chunk of salt.
Comments are appreciated! Tell me what you thought and if you have thoughts of your own.
Oh my stars I need to gnaw on bones and perish in the woods because. Because some people believe Wanderer/Scaramouche has gone through an entire redemption arc. No!! He is at the beginning. He is taking his first steps forward!!! He is STICKING with the Good Guys (TM) because it's the most optimal thing to do!! It's not out of character, he knows how to play the cards he's been dealt! And y'know, overtime, he should begin to grow to care for the people of Sumeru and the region itself!!! Like that's the point!!!! He isn't there yet!!!!!! He isn't supposed to be a good guy yet!!! The reason this "redemption arc" feels "unsatisfying" is because he isn't a fully converted good guy yet!!!! Aaaaaaaa!! :(
I have my thoughts below- and uh, it's a bit long
And to those saying Hoyo should've killed him off? Please, I do want to hear why you believe that killing off Scaramouche would've been more impactful than keeping him alive. I, personally, believe that killing him off would be a disservice to what the story has been trying to get across as Sumeru's version of wisdom.
And to explain what I believe the story has been trying to get across about wisdom: Wisdom is, to Sumeru, the celebration of individuality interwoven with the celebration of community. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata says that dreams are the fruit of human wisdom, and dreams are reflections of a person's raw joys, anxieties, sorrows, and examples of the bottomless creativity the mind produces. Those combined dreams power the Akasha, which helped Rukkhadevata repel forbidden knowledge and is considered an incredible piece of technology in Teyvat. (That's a lot of weight and power they're putting into dreams!!)
Wanna see another example of how starkly different individuals come together to beat an imposing foe? LITERALLY THE SUMERU CAST. Wonder why when you played throughout the Sumeru quest line it felt a tad bit like found family?? Because that's the point!! The narrative spends time fleshing out the bonds between characters, whether old or new! We see characters like Cyno, Dehya, and Alhaitham grow to trust one another despite their tense start! We see previously established relationships like Dehya and Dunyarzad or Tighnari and Cyno! They all get closer to the Traveler as well! It is INTENTIONAL!!
Okay, now back to this puppet, Scaramouche is someone who has consistently had his own personhood denied, with his right to exist as an individual played with. His own perceived abandonment from Ei and the Fatui orchestrating the destruction of his only support group (the people of Tatarasuna) in order to be used for their own gain hammers that point home. He rejects himself by ignoring his own humanity in favor of becoming something he THINKS he's supposed to be! The Harbingers do not trust one another, and they are ready to stab their colleagues in the back from their own gain. (Which he does!! What sense of community here?? None!!)
Do you see? Scaramouche, in this state, is the antithesis of Sumeru's wisdom. Which is precisely why he fails. He fails and he falls due to the wisdom of the people of Sumeru and the joint efforts of the Sumeru cast. He, a shattered puppet once more, is forced to reckon with the fact that who he believes he should be is not who he is. And to make that realization have meaning, he must live.
There is a reason why the nation of wisdom is also the nation of dendro. To grow, adapt, and change are its core principles. So why wouldn't the Dendro Archon extend her hand to someone denied what she had been recently given- support, companionship, community. Wouldn't it be much more impactful to see a sickly sapling turn into a tree rather than letting it die? With Wanderer, we will (eventually) see the harvest of Sumeru's ideals. From rocky start to the nebulous finish, Wanderer will embody the adaptation and growth that marks Sumeru's wisdom as he steadily grows into his own individual- with many characters we know accompanying him on that journey.
I dunno how else to put this, I literally just think that having a character actively being shaped by what makes Sumeru.. Sumeru after a total rejection of it is neat. Because.. Y'know. Plants? Nurturing and growing?? I am being SO real I do not think narratively cutting off a character's ability to grow would be Sumeru's jam. Sorry for this mess of a rant, I hope my thoughts got through.. and this isn't even talking about the nuances of other characters (especially Nahida!!) but I am. Tired. So tired :')
My 6th sumeru redesign (and number 11) and it's our sleepy girl, Layla đđ! She was DEFINITELY the hardest redesign so far đ but was worth it.
Redesign notes:
Two problems with Layla: 1) her outfit was confusing in a lot of places like the skirt and the brown corset. 2) I don't really see any hint of arabic culture or any cultural detail anywhere. So that meant one thing...concept art đšđ!
The concept art was focused on playing around with the middle eastern culture while also using some of the orignal elements from Layla's current design. Also, since Layla is sleepy all the time, I thought to try and make her outfit comfortable for her.
Outfit number 2 was the winner đ especially with how beautiful it looked. This dress is based on an outfit from the Yemeni culture (which can be found here for comparison). Also the idea of the dress came from @loojii 's character Shari on the lovely dress she wore and the design gave me an idea add moon and star symbols to the dress (note: the oc Shari rightfully belongs to @loojii )
Iknow Layla is a sword fighter and pants would be more practical but I felt a skirt fit her character more especially with the more graceful fighting style she has.
I did try to use some of the orignal elements to my advantage. For example, the diamond halter was used a belt and we kept the small black skirt, the necklace and shoes too. I did remove some things like the golden claws and brown corset. Mainly because they didn't make sense to me or they didn't fit her character. Also her vision is moved onto her necklace (which i almost forgot to add đ )
As for the hood, I REALLY tried my hardest to make it work but for some reason I really struggled with it (that might just be a đšdrawing skill issue from my part) and I decided to remove it. I actually found it later that the hood is based ok a dupatta from south aisan culture. Wish I knew that sooner đ
As for the physical features, mainly the same with minor changes. I changed a hair to a ponytail because the pigtails feel overused for a lot of characters.
While this was not easy, I do love how it came out â„ïž. There are other redesigns here if anyone is curious to see
